Churches

The churches in this book demonstrate the diverse range of denominations and sects that form the Charismatic Evangelical movement today. Materially and architecturally, the buildings reflect a Spiritualist church movement reacting against secular Material Rationalism and consumerism. They feature none of the monumental architecture or symbols of status and power of the historically dominant denominations like Roman Catholicism. The buildings were never designed to be churches, and this random collection of architectural structures is the result of numerous acts of faith. Often temporary, semi-permanent or unconsecrated, they are sometimes anonymous and almost invisible. They are usually located where we would least expect to find them: in industrial estates, shopping malls, houses, garages, cinemas, above commercial properties and even pubs. Spero's work acknowledges that the divine may exist in the most unlikely places, and testifies to our enduring need to seek out a state of grace.